May in England is the boss. Lilac, wisteria, asparagus (and voting – although that’s another story). We try to eat asparagus every day when its in season, as its gorgeous stuff and we can’t bear to eat it when its been flown half way round the world.

Boil the potatoes in the stock for 10 minutes or until almost cooked; then add the beans, corn and spinach or pumpkin leaves

Continue to cook together until the potatoes are ready, the beans and corn hot and the spinach is cooked

Drain off most of water into a bowel and keep it. Add a little butter or margarine to the bean and potato mix and mash well. Add some of the cooking water to get the consistency you prefer and serve hot.

Covo: Traditionally cooked greens with tomato (Zimbabwe)

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

1 large tomato, chopped

1 bundle Covo (greens, such as kale or cabbage)

Tablespoon of peanut butter (optional)

Vegetable oil for frying

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onions & garlic for 1 minute
2. Add the greens and season and cook for 1 minute
3. Add tomatoes, then peanut butter if desired and stir.
4. Cover pot, reduce heat and simmer for 3 mins, then serve.

If, like me, you get a bit twitchy in winter without lots of lovely veg to grow, why not try an indoor mushroom kit?

Mellors and I bought a range of kits from Espresso Mushroom Company, which are cardboard boxes containing mushroom spores in a compost of coffee grounds. You just wet the contents and watch the mushrooms grow almost overnight.

They grow so quickly (with almost creepy haste, like tasty, colourful Triffids) – the kids love seeing how much bigger they are every day. Give it a go. Mushroom risotto for the Hillbillys tonight!

Method
1. Take the chard leaves off the stalks and shred the leaves and stalks finely. Keep them separate.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add the onions and the chard stalks and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic, chard leaves and orange zest and mix together. Season well and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes until the leaves have wilted.
3. Stir in the orange juice and serve at once.

Method
1. Whisk together the flour and sparkling water to make a thick batter.
2. Place the vegetable oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat until a small cube of bread sizzles and turns golden when dropped into it. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
3. Dip the apricots in the batter and gently lower into the hot oil. Fry until crisp and golden.
4. Carefully remove the battered apricots with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
5. Dust with icing sugar and cinnamon while hot and serve